High grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) kills worldwide 125000 women per year and once it is detected, survival rates are poor. There are strong lines of evidence indicating that HGSOC originates from the oviductal epithelium, specifically from a fimbrial lesion known as serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known regulators of gene expression and have been associated with cancer development, however, their roles have not been thoroughly addressed in the context of STIC.

My interest is to understand the molecular mechanisms leading to transformation of oviductal epithelial cells into cancerous cells and elucidate the contribution of miRNAs. For this purpose, porcine oviductal epithelial cells (POECs) are modified using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to induce specific genetic modifications associated with STIC development, then, RNAseq and bioinformatics are applied to define transcriptomic alterations. The hypothesis is that induction of genetic alterations associated with STIC will lead to transformation of POECs and alter the expression of miRNAs. The aim is to establish a protocol to consistently transform POECs and to identify miRNAs driving the development of STIC.

Palma-Vera S, Einspanier R, Schoen J. Bovine oviductal epithelial cells:

Long term culture characterization and impact of insulin on cell morphology. Reprod Biol, 2014; 14(3): 206-12.

Palma-Vera S, Sharbati S, Einspanier R. Identification of miRNAs in cow endometrium through RNAseq and prediction of regulated pathways. Reprod Domest Anim,2015; 50(5): 800-806.